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Caramel coloring chemical linked to cancer found in "too high" levels in some colas

Bottles of Pepsi sit in a cooler at a 76 gas station on March 25, 2013 in San Francisco, California. New tests of Pepsi One by Consumer Reports revealed "too high" levels of a caramel coloring chemical, 4-MeI, that's been linked to cancer.

Consumer Reports is
warning the caramel coloring that gives cola its brown hue may be dangerous in
the levels its found in some popular soft drinks.

“There’s no reason
why consumers should be exposed to an avoidable and unnecessary risk that can
stem from coloring food brown,” toxicologist Dr. Urvashi Rangan, executive
director of Consumer Reports’ Food Safety & Sustainability Center, said in
a statement.

Researchers at the
magazine tested dozens of cans and bottles from a variety of popular brands
looking for levels of the artificial chemical used for coloring,
4-methylimidazole (4-MeI).

Previous studies of
4-MeI have found long-term exposure to the chemical caused lung cancer in mice,
according to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. That
prompted the state to add 4-MeI to its list of potentially toxic
chemicals under Proposition 65, which requires warning labels on products
containing concerning levels of the chemical -- in this case 29 micrograms of 4-MeI per
can or bottle.

Consumer Reports
tested 81 cans of soda purchased between April and September 2013 from New York
and California metropolitan areas. The researchers tested another 29 samples from
the same areas for products that initial tests showed exceeded the 29-microgram
amount of 4-MeI.

On all tests, Pepsi
One and Malta Goya sodas contained levels of 4-MeI higher than 29 micrograms,
and the products purchased in Calif. did not have the warning labels.

Results on Pepsi One
ranged from 39.5 micrograms of 4-MeI to 195.3 micrograms of the chemical. Malta
Goya contained a whopping 307.5 to 352.5 micrograms depending on the test date and purchase location.

For samples tested in California, Consumer Reports
said it notified the state’s attorney general to investigate to see whether
Prop 65 was violated.

Initial tests of
regular Pepsi found 24.8 micrograms and 174.4. micrograms of 4-MeI in cans sold in Calif.
and N.Y. respectively. The next round of testing found 29.1 micrograms and 32.4
micrograms of 4-MeI in those states. Diet Pepsi tests showed similar results.

“The fact that we
found lower amounts of 4-MeI in our last round of tests suggests that some
manufacturers may be taking steps to reduce levels, which would be a step in
the right direction,” Rangan said.

Coca-Cola, Coke Zero
and Diet Coke’s initial tests showed around or below 4 micrograms of 4-MeI in
samples. A &W Root Beer contained 24.2
micrograms of 4-MeI in California and around 22 micrograms from New York cans,
which also did not violate the law.

But Rangan says
manufacturers have choices to pick alternatives that contain lower levels of
the chemical.

“It’s possible to
get more than 29 micrograms of 4-MeI in one can of some of the drinks we
tested,” said Rangan. “And even if your choice of soft drink contains half that
amount, many people have more than one can per day.”

The magazine called
on the Food and Drug Administration to set federal limits for 4-MeI in foods, and to require manufacturers to list
the chemical on ingredient labels. Now, the labels only have to state “artificial
color” or “caramel color.”

In response to the
study, the FDA told the Associated Press it is
conducting new safety studies on the products containing 4-MeI, but noted it’s been
studied for decades. The agency said it has no reason to believe its unsafe.

"These efforts
will inform the FDA's safety analysis and will help the agency determine what,
if any, regulatory action needs to be taken," agency spokeswoman Juli
Putnam told AP.

PepsiCo said it is "extremely concerned" about the new Consumer Reports study and believes it is factually incorrect, spokesperson Aurora Gonzalez told AP.

"All of Pepsi's products are below the threshold set in California and all are in full compliance with the law," she said.